Seal for connecting and/or sealing facade elements

ABSTRACT

A seal serves to connect and/or seal between facade panels ( 2 ) and similar building parts and is provided with at least two sealing webs ( 6.1  and  6.2 ) spaced from each other and forming a compartment ( 5 ), the lips being attached at their edges to common connecting lips ( 7 ) shaped for attachment to the respective facade panels. Each sealing web ( 6.1  and  6.2 ) is designed to deform elastically to change its transverse spacing and is hinged to the connecting lip at its edge.

The invention relates to a seal for connecting and/or sealing between facade panels and similar building parts, with at least two sealing webs spaced from each other, forming a compartment and each connected at an edge to a common connecting lip shaped for attachment to the facade panels.

When individual facade panels are installed they both must be sealed in a vertical and in a horizontal direction with respect to each other. Profiled grooves into which the seals are inserted with both their connecting lips are usually provided for this purpose on the facade panels.

Since the gap remaining between the facade panels and to be closed off by the seal already has no uniform width due to tolerances and also can be altered for example by the influence of a variable thermal load, the connecting lips must be able to slide longitudinally in the respective profiled grooves so as to be able to compensate here correspondingly. As a rule, one of the two connecting lips is fixed in the profiled groove, while the other connecting lip can change its position within the profiled groove. This can lead not only to problems of tightness, but also to impairment of the appearance, since this connecting lip protrudes irregularly far from the profiled groove depending on tolerance or current spacing of the facade panels.

The object of the invention is to further develop a seal of the type described above, on the one hand resulting in improved sealing and thermal insulation, and on the other hand a more uniform optical appearance.

This object is attained according to the invention by allowing each sealing web to deform elastically to change its transverse spacing and by hinging its longitudinal edge to the connecting lip.

The advantage resulting from the invention essentially allows the different distances of the facade panels to be compensated for just by the sealing webs, while the connecting lips remain fully inside the profiled grooves of the facade panels. This on the one hand ensures better sealing of the connecting lips in the profiled grooves, and on the other hand also achieves a more uniform optical appearance, since the deformations constantly provide a uniform appearance in a plan view of the sealing webs all the same.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention at least one of the two sealing webs has a convexly arcuate cross-sectional shape. It is recommended here that the convexity is oriented to be directed away from the other sealing web.

The convexity can be configured in a first configuration in the form of an arc of a circle; there is however also the possibility that the convexity is configured to be segmental, the sealing web is formed by two flat hinged-together sealing web sections.

There is also the possibility that at least one of the two sealing webs is shaped like a concertina, the sealing web being formed by an even number of hinged-together sealing-web sections. It has proven to be an advantage for the sealing web to be formed by four sealing-web sections.

By way of advantage both abovementioned configurations of the sealing webs can also be combined with one another.

To accomplish particularly aligned deformation of the sealing webs, the invention further provides that the sealing webs are connected to one another via a connecting web. This connecting web is advantageously arranged in the center on the sealing webs.

Within the scope of the invention the connecting lips can be adapted to the form of the respective sealing facade panels in basically any configuration; usually and in this respect in a preferred configuration however the connecting lips are configured to fit complementarily into profiled grooves of the facade panels.

For the connecting lips to be given the best stability in the profiled grooves, the connecting lips are provided on their side faces engaging the profiled grooved walls with hook-like latch lugs. The profiled grooves are accordingly provided with seats for the latch lugs.

It is also advantageous for the connecting lips to have a compartment at their edge projecting to the base of the profiled groove defined between readily deformable closed walls, offering reliable and permanent sealing.

Finally, the connecting lips can be provided with laterally projecting support ridges covering the rim of the profiled groove, the gap between the profiled grooved walls and the connecting lips thus being covered and benefitting from additional sealing.

The invention will now be explained in greater detail below by means of an embodiment illustrated in the drawing.

Therein:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a modular-style facade,

FIG. 2 shows a section through a facade as in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 show in successive views a through d a seal as it is installed between the facade panels in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 shows in successive views a to d an alternative configuration of the seal as per FIG. 3.

FIG. 1 of the drawing schematically illustrates the modular facade comprising individual facade panels 2 suspended on the floor/ceiling systems 1 of the building. These facade panels 2 are arranged such that both in the horizontal and in the vertical direction there is between them a minimal gap 3 that has to be sealed by seals 4.

These seals 4 are shown in FIG. 2 and are illustrated in FIG. 3 in detail. They each comprise two sealing webs 6.1 and 6.2 spaced from each other, forming a compartment 5, and attached at their longitudinal edges to common connecting lips 7. These connecting lips 7 serve for attachment of respective facade panels 2.

As is evident in particular from FIGS. 3 and 4 the sealing webs 6.1 and 6.2 are designed to deform elastically to change their transverse spacing and are hinged at their edges to the connecting lip 7 to promote deformability.

The sealing web 6.1 shown to the left in FIGS. 3 and 4 has an arcuate shape in cross-section, convex away from the other sealing web 6.2. As shown, the curvature can be designed as an segment circle.

There is however also the possibility, not illustrated in greater detail in the drawing, of configuring the shape to be angular with the sealing web 6.1 formed from two flat sealing webs hinged to each other. The angle they form is to be selected such that deformation or deflection to the side provided for this purpose occurs under compressive load.

The sealing web 6.2 shown to the right in the drawing is by way of contrast shaped like a concertina being made up of an even number (here four) of hinged-together sealing-web sections 8.

As is further clear from the drawing, the sealing webs 6.1 and 6.2 are connected to one another via a connecting web 9 centered on the sealing webs 6.1 and 6.2 and ensuring uniform and aligned deformation.

As shown in FIG. 2, the connecting lips are designed to fit in profiled grooves 10 of the facade panels 2. To ensure the required stability here the connecting lips 7 are provided on their side faces engaging the flanks of the profiled grooves with hook-shaped latch lugs 11 that engage in seats formed in the flanks of the profiled grooves 10.

Despite its elastic nature the sealing web 6.1 all the same has sufficient stiffness, ensuring that the connecting lips 7 are fully inserted into the profiled grooves 10 during assembly, when the facade panels 2 are placed on top of one another.

To achieve optimal sealing the connecting lips 7 are provided at their outer ends engaging the floor of the profiled groove 10 with a compartment 12 defined between softly deformable walls. This also enables the vertical seals to be butt-jointed at the cross joint.

Finally, the connecting lips 7 are each provided with laterally projecting support ridges 11 covering the edges of the respective profiled groove 10, bridging the gap between the walls of the profiled groove 10 and the connecting lip 7. FIGS. 3 and 4 show the deformation of the sealing web 6.1 and 6.2 with a tapering gap 3. In practice, variations of the gap of around 1:5 can be bridged, and in the case of standard dimensions this can be in the range of 5 to 25 mm, for example. Another lateral extension on the seal forming a labyrinth is provided in FIG. 4. 

1. A seal for connecting and/or sealing between facade panels and similar building parts, with at least two sealing webs spaced from each other and forming a compartment, the webs being connected on each of their longitudinal edges with respective common connecting lip attachable to one of the facade panels, each sealing web is being designed to deform elastically and being hinged at its edge to the connecting lip to change its transverse spacing.
 2. The seal as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of the two sealing webs has an arcuate cross-sectional shape.
 3. The seal as claimed in claim 2 wherein the arc is convex away from the other sealing web.
 4. The seal as claimed in claim 2 wherein the arc is a circular segment.
 5. The seal as claimed in claim 2 wherein the arc is segmental and formed by hinged-together two sealing-web sections.
 6. The seal as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of the sealing webs is shaped like a concertina, the sealing web being formed by an even number of hinged-together sealing-web sections.
 7. The seal as claimed in claim 6 wherein the sealing web is formed from by four sealing-web sections.
 8. The seal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sealing webs are connected to one another via a connecting web.
 9. The seal as claimed in claim 8 wherein the connecting web is centered on the sealing webs.
 10. The seal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the connecting lips are shaped to fit complementarily in respective profiled grooves of the facade panels.
 11. The seal as claimed in claim 10 wherein the connecting lips are provided on their side faces engaging flanks of the respective profiled grooves with hook-shaped latch lugs.
 12. The seal as claimed in claim 11 wherein the profiled grooves are provided with seats for the respective latch lugs.
 13. The seal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the connecting lips are each formed with a compartment defined between softly walls on their edges projecting to floors of the respective profiled grooves.
 14. The seal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the connecting lips are provided with laterally projecting support ridges covering the edge of the profiled groove.
 15. A seal for use between substantially planar facade panels each formed with an outwardly open profiled groove, the seal being unitarily formed of an elastically deformable material with: two sealing webs spaced from and extending generally parallel to each other in a plane of the facade panels; two connecting lips extending oppositely outward from the sealing webs and fitting in the grooves, the lips and webs together forming an elongated and transversely closed compartment between the; and hinge means connecting each of the webs to both of the connecting lips for elastic transverse deformation of the webs on movement of the lips toward and away from each other.
 16. The seal defined in claim 15 wherein one of the webs is convex away from the other web.
 17. The seal defined in claim 16 wherein the seal is further formed unitarily with: a connecting web extending transversely between the sealing webs and longitudinally subdividing the compartment into two longitudinally extending subcompartments.
 18. The seal defined in claim 17 wherein the one sealing web is substantially thicker than the other connecting web.
 19. The seal defined in claim 18 wherein the other of the sealing webs is formed by two pairs of generally flat subwebs, each pair extending between a longitudinal edge of the sealing web and a respective one of the connecting lips.
 20. The seal defined in claim 15 wherein each of the connecting lips is tubular. 